I have a very small oil seep that leaves maybe a drop or two a day. I know that it's pretty normal to have this, but my dad is annoyed by the oil stains in the driveway and garage. I am pretty sure that it is the valve cover gasket, it seems to be coming from that area. I have taken out the ignition coils, but I don't notice any significant oil in the spark plug wells. I only notice some slight wetness. Should I go ahead and take off the valve cover to check it, or should I move on to checking other parts of the engine for the seep? Will I need to replace the gasket just by opening the valve cover?

Thanks in advance.

ZeGerman

02-23-2011 03:54 PM

Yes, by removing your valve cover, you will automatically need to use a new gasket. I'd just replace it. I just replaced mine at 103k miles, and it had basically turned from soft rubber to hard plastic. Who knows how old yours is. Mine broke out of the valve cover in hard little pieces. Be sure to buy the valve cover retainer nut seals, too, and use 02 sensor safe valve cover gasket RTV in the correct locations. Also, be absolutely certain that you use a torque wrench when tightening down the valve cover. The studs can strip very easily. Here is the DIY I used - worked very well.

The valve cover gasket set says to use fifteen, so I'll go with that. Thanks for your help.

ZeGerman

02-23-2011 06:47 PM

Yeah, I'm 99% sure it's 15 for both the M50 and M52.

drive by72

02-24-2011 11:52 AM

I'm confused here... Pelican says that I need one (using the above link) for a 93 325 Sedan w/ M50, and you guys are saying 15? :confused: Guidance? Thanks

cj.surr

02-24-2011 11:55 AM

It's definitely not one. The pelican parts gasket kit says 15, so that's what I would trust. Also, Karl said that he need 15 for his m52, so it's probably the same for the m50.

ZeGerman

02-24-2011 12:56 PM

You need one retainer nut seal for EACH valve cover retainer nut. Count the number of valve cover retaining nuts - that's how many you need. There are 11 that go around the perimeter of the valve cover, and then four more down the center of the head. That adds up to 15 people... ;)

drive by72

02-24-2011 05:07 PM

Ok, thanks :thumbup: I'm replacing a valve cover gasket for a friend with an M50, and somehow Im responsible for parts, so I gotta make sure

ZeGerman

02-24-2011 05:16 PM

Cool. Make sure you use a torque wrench on the retaining nuts - especially if you're working on someone else's car.

drive by72

02-24-2011 05:29 PM

I plan to. 89in LBS, correct?

ZeGerman

02-24-2011 05:38 PM

I forget the exact number.

drive by72

02-24-2011 05:46 PM

Pelican says 89, so thats what I'll go by ;) How long did it take you to do yours Karl?

ethereal45

02-24-2011 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drive by72
(Post 5874048)

Pelican says 89, so thats what I'll go by ;) How long did it take you to do yours Karl?

89 inch pounds -- make sure you get a special smaller torque wrench. While some big ones go down this low, they aren't accurate that far to the bottom end of their range. A good rule of thumb is to avoid going within 10% of the top end or bottom end of a wrench's range.

Oddly enough, we follow that same rule of thumb with micropipetters in chemistry lab.

ZeGerman

02-24-2011 06:02 PM

I didn't time myself like I usually do when I do car projects, but it took me somewhere in the ballpark of 1.5 hours doing it for the first time (i.e. super carefully). Now that I know my way around it and have some familiarity, I could probably do it in well under an hour.